The Lagos State Government has received 1,000 petitions relating to forceful take-over of landed properties in the last one year.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), made this known on Wednesday at the Ministerial Press Briefing to commemorate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s first anniversary.
Onigbanjo said the petitions were received through the Special Task Force Against Land Grabbers.
He said out of the 1,000 petitions received, 350 were successfully resolved within the year.
Onigbanjo noted deliberate efforts were made by the government to strengthen the task force to arrest and prosecute suspected notorious land grabbers.
He said: “This will send a strong signal about the determination of the present administration to rid the state of illegal dispossession of landowners.
“The task force, with five counsel, received 1,000 petitions out of which 350 have so far been resolved, while over 600 are pending and are at various stages of resolution.
“About 20 petitions are currently being prosecuted in court; 20 properties under dispute are marked with inscriptions by the Office to prevent any further transactions until pending issues are resolved.
“The arrest and prosecution of several suspected land grabbers are also effected, in conjunction with security personnel, attached to the Governor’s Monitoring Team.”
The commissioner said tone of the cases handled by the task force included the Ejigbo land grabbing matter, which had gone viral.
It was popularly known as the Adeoye case, in which a warrant of arrest was issued against the three alleged land grabbers.
He said there was the arrest and prosecution of land grabbers at Ogudu Government Reservation Area Residential Scheme II and recovery of land from a land grabber at Ojota, among others.
Onigbanjo said the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team held series of activities to galvanise strategic action.
The commissioner said the state government responded appropriately to formal and informal reporting of incidents of rape, defilement, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect and maltreatment.
He said the team organised training for Judges and Magistrates and held a special advocacy walk tagged: “A Walk to Commit and Act,” against all forms of sexual and gender-based violence.
According to him, DSVRT equally ensured the arrest and arraignment of an alleged wife molester, one Sulaiman Maiyegun, who on May 5, 2020 posted the beating of his wife, which went viral on social media.
He said the department also obtained restraining orders in court against domestic violence abusers.
The attorney-general said the Directorate of Citizen’s Rights received 1,308 petitions out of which 1,070 had been resolved with 228 at different stages of resolution.
Onigbanjo said: “These petitions spread across the Department’s various units, which include the Human Rights Protection Unit, Consumer Rights Protection Unit, Monetary Claims, Family Matters, the Employee/Employer Matters, and One-stop Child Justice Centre.
“The department also took part in prison watch, with effect from May 2020, and conducted several rescue missions on abused children.
“Specifically, three children were rescued from their stepmother at Ikorodu.
“A 12-year-old boy was also rescued from his violent mother at Agege, while seven judgments were obtained at the National Industrial Court and an amount of N21,353,319 was recovered,” the commissioner said.
